Dinosaurs are animals that became extinct 65 million years ago.
Dinosaur is a term that comes from a Greek word that can be translated as “terrible lizard.” The concept is used to name the sauropsid vertebrates that dominated the Earth for about 160 million years until, for reasons not yet confirmed, they became extinct.
The Dinosauria clade (its scientific name) included bipedal and quadrupedal animals. There is also often talk of winged dinosaurs (such as pterosaurs ) and aquatic dinosaurs ( plesiosaurs ), although these species , in reality, did not belong to this genus .
Dinosaur Characteristics
Dinosaurs were characterized by their immense size, according to what science has been able to discover thanks to their fossils (remains preserved in sedimentary rocks). In fact, dinosaurs were the largest living beings that inhabited planet Earth , reaching extremes of 50 meters in length, about 17 meters in height and weights close to 100 tons depending on the species.
It is possible to divide dinosaurs into herbivores and carnivores according to their diet . Among the herbivores, the stegosaurs , ankylosaurs and brachiosaurs can be highlighted, while the most prominent carnivorous dinosaurs are the tyrannosaurs and velociraptors .
There were different species of flying dinosaurs.
The extinction
Dinosaurs became extinct about 65 million years ago, possibly due to the impact of a huge asteroid on Earth . That is why they did not coexist with human beings ; In any case, some of our ancestors knew large extinct animals such as the mammoth or the saber-toothed tiger.
In recent decades there has been speculation about the possibility of recovering or reviving dinosaurs through biotechnology . This requires extracting DNA from dinosaur fossils to reconstruct it, something that is technically impossible today.
dinosaur species
Brachiosaurus
It was one of the largest, according to the fossils found so far. Its weight could reach 80 tons and its height was around 13 meters; Its length, on the other hand, was around 23 meters. Among the main characteristics of this dinosaur belonging to the Jurassic period and found in South Africa and North America , are its extensive neck and long front legs, two features that make them surprisingly similar to giraffes. On the other hand, its nostrils were located on the top of its head. As a curiosity, the meaning of its name is "arm reptile " .
Pliosaur
Belonging to the Upper Jurassic period , the pliosaur was one of the largest marine reptiles. It is estimated that its length could reach 18 meters and its weight exceed 50 tons. On the other hand, its teeth were 40 centimeters long, enough to make the pliosaur the largest predator that has ever lived on our planet. Some of their remains were found in Mexico and Norway .
Agnosphitys
Unlike the image we generally have of a dinosaur, the agnophytys was very small, since its length was around 70 centimeters. It is a carnivore belonging to the Triassic period. The meaning of his name is "uncertain race" and his remains were found in a mine in England .
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Without a doubt, it is the most popular dinosaur, thanks to works such as the movie "Jurassic Park" . Despite what many people believe, it was not the largest carnivore on Earth. However, it was an excellent hunter and weighed 7 tons and was 14 meters long. Thanks to its long tail it was able to balance its colossal body . It belonged to the Cretaceous period and was found in North America .
Albertosaurus
This dinosaur belonged to the Cretaceous period and was related to Tyrannosaurus Rex, although its size was smaller. It had a very large head, a strong and robust tail, and hind legs with sharp claws. It is estimated that its weight was around 1.5 tons and its length was 9 meters. It was detected in North America .